Forever And Always Aren't The Same
by Little Miss Diva 152
Summary: All I could hear was the hushed sound of his steady heartbeat. I couldn't believe myself, am I really falling for him? I'm not even half his age, and he's crazy over my sister, but she's gone. When I find the one that took her away from us, he's a dead man.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N- I know I haven't updated The Leaves Last Breaths in awhile- don't flip, I just got stuck! (If you don't know what this is then ignore this or read Nether Realm Fraud, I don't care all that much.) Anyhow, those that know what I'm talking about, HELP ME! PLEASE! lol enjoy this story, I worked really hard on it! _

_-Kira _

_-End of A/N-_

August 29, 3:48 PM  
Optimus Prime had a feeling in his spark that something was wrong. He just couldn't figure out what it was.  
But it had turned out that Ratchet had found out for him.  
"Optimus, there are signs of Decepticon life near your location." He said. "Be careful."  
"I'm going to go check it out." He drove down the road towards the signal, ignoring Ratchet's warnings not to go.  
"Optimus, where there is one decepticon, there is bound to be more. At least let me send in some back up." Ratchet protested.  
"No Ratchet. That won't be necessary." Optimus replied calmly. He turned off his com-link and continued driving.  
A little while later he reached the city where the signals of the decepticon were coming from. He ended up at the edge of the city, not a single human in sight.  
Or so he thought.  
A small girl was pushed up against the wall of a building, with the decepticon pointing his gun directly at her, just about to shoot.  
Optimus transformed into his robot form.  
"Let the girl go." He demanded.  
"Oh I don't think so." The decepticon said. He turned to face him, the gun still pointed at Nicole. Optimus glared at him.  
"What are you gonna do, stare me to death?"  
Optimus answered by slamming his fist into the decepticon's face.  
"Bad idea." He fired the gun at Nicole, just barely missing her head and hitting her shoulder. She acreamed and fell to the ground, just barely knowing what had hit her.  
"I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." Optimus drew his gun and fired it at the decepticon, who then fell to the ground a fet feet away from Nicole, but got back up a few seconds later. Optimus turned his com link back on and told Ratchet to send in Arcee as backup. He turned it off again and picked up Nicole with his giant hands, being careful not to hurt her more than the decepticon already had done. He looked down at her, a feeling of deep pity for her flashing through his spark. He looked up to see the decepticon standing right before him.  
"You're gonna have to do better then that." He said. He slapped the bottoms of Optimus' hands making Nicole fly up into the air.  
Ignoring the fact that her arms were made of steel, Arcee flipped up into the air to catch her. Nicole landed in her arms, slightly cracking her spine from the impact.  
"Take her back to the base!" Optimus shouted over his shoulder. Arcee ran back through the ground bridge towards the base while Optimus still stood fighting the decepticon.  
"You got lucky this time." He said before transforming and flying away. Optimus transformed and drove home, knowing that Ratchet would be far too busy to open up tje ground bridge.  
Arcee laid Nicole on the table in the middle of the room. Ratchet had bandaged up her shoulder so it would stop bleeding.  
Jack was chasing Mikko trying to keep her away from the base but she was too fast for him. She had already gotten kicked in the head and punched in numerous places from when Jack had tackled her but she still continued to run, ignoring the pounding in her head and the weak feeling in her legs. She thought her sister had been kidnapped by the autobots, as she had never met them before, but she had it all wrong. She burst through the door, Jack coming up behind her a few seconds later. They all turned to stare at Mikko.  
"Why do you have my little sister?! What the hell did you do to her?!" Mikko shouted. Rage flared through her green eyes.  
"We didn't do this to her. We found her like this." Arcee said calmly.  
"Liar!" Mikko ran over to Nicole's side. Tears formed in her eyes as she gently squeezed her sister's hand.  
"Please don't go." She whispered to her. "I never got to teach you how to play the guitar like I promised."  
"They didn't do this to her Mikko." Jack whispered in her ear. He comfortingly wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He had only really thought of her as just a friend before, but when he put his arm around her he got this funny feeling in his stomach. But of course, no one knew if Mikko felt the same sensation or not.  
"Who would do such a terrible thing?"  
"Decepticons." Arcee replied.  
"Decepticons?" Mikko asked.  
Optimus Prime drove into the base and transformed. He had never expected to see what he saw. Jack and another girl stood next to each other, his arm around her shoulders.  
"Jack, is this your girlfriend?" He asked, not meaning to embarrass him.  
"What?! No! Of course not!" He protested.  
"She's the other girl's older sister." Arcee explained.  
"That would make much more sense."  
Arcee sighed, nodding her head.  
"Optimus, this is Mikko. Mikko, this is Optimus Prime." Jack said.  
"Mikko, I assure you, that your sister will be fine. However, if it weren't for Arcee, she most likely wouldn't be alive right now."  
Jack unwrapped his arm from around Mikko's shoulders. His shirt sleeve was wet from Mikko's tears, but he didn't really mind it too much.  
Mikko turned to face Arcee. She was about to say something but Arcee cut her off.  
"Don't worry about it. Autobot's duty." She smiled.  
"Thank you." Mikko whispered.  
About two hours later, things weren't looking good for Nicole. She wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, that was for sure.  
"Jack, Mikko, Rafael, you should be getting home." Optimus declared. It had been silent for quite some time.  
"But what about Nicole?" Mikko said barely above a whisper.  
"Nicole?"  
"Nicole is Mikko's sister." Jack replied.  
"Oh. I see. Nicole will be safe here with us. You see, human doctors cannot do anything for her. They don't understand our technology. That is why she must stay here." Optimus explained.  
"Ok." She nodded sadly.  
Mikko silently followed Raf and Jack out the door, taking one last look at Nicole before they left.  
After a few minutes of walking, Jack finally broke the silence.  
"Mikko, what are your parents going to say about Nicole?" He asked.  
"They're gone. For a week." She replied.  
"So, you'll be there all by yourself?"  
She nodded her head.  
"I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind if you stayed with me for the night."  
"Ooh, somebody's in lo-ove!" Raf teased.  
"I am not in love with Mikko! I'm just trying to make her feel better!"  
"That's your story, but I'm not buying it."  
"Just shut up already!" Mikko yelled.  
"Sorry Mikko." Raf muttered.  
After Raf had turned down the opposite street to go to his house, Jack and Mikko were headed down the same street.  
"So, do you want to come to my house Mikko? I can explain everything to my mom, without revealing the bot's identities. I'm sure she won't mind."  
"That's really sweet of you Jack. I guess it would be better than being home all by myself."  
"Do you need to get clothes or anything?"  
"I should probably get some clothes for when we go back tomorrow."  
"Alright. I'm going to go over to my house and explain things to my mom."  
"Ok." Mikko pulled her key out of her pocket and unlocked the door and went inside.  
Jack opened the garage to the house next to Mikko's and went inside. His mother was at the kitchen table on her laptop.  
Mikko walked into the room she shared with Nicole. The light of the almost full moon shone through the window. Nicole's bed was neat and tidy and pushed into the corner, just as it always was. Her favorite teddy bear rested on the pillow. Its big black plastic eyes stared up Mikko. She gently picked it up and hugged it to her chest as she stared out the window.  
"Please be ok." She whispered. She set the bear back down on the bed and put some clothes in her backpack. She grabbed her headphones and headed over to Jack's house. Jack and his mom were waiting for her in the driveway.  
"Mikko, I'm really sorry to hear about Nicole. You can stay here as long as you need to."  
"Thank you."  
"No problem."  
The next morning, Mikko was up before the sun had even begun to rise. She was too afraid to sleep, but her fear was just beginning to get intense.  
At about 9:30, Mikko couldn't wait any longer.  
"Come on Jack!" She pleaded.  
"Alright. We can go now." He finally gave in.  
They walked past Raf's house on the way there and he walked to the base with them.  
"What could have happened to her?" They heard Ratchet say. They ran into the base, Mikko's eyes widening in fear.  
"No!" She screamed. "Nicole!"


	2. Chapter 2

2

September 20, 6:55 am  
The table where Nicole laid before was empty.  
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Mikko screamed.  
"We... Don't know." Optimus replied.  
The computer beeped and everyone turned to look at it. There was picture of Nicole on the screen with a message. "Come and get her before it's too late.- Arachnid"  
"I'm going after her. Arachnid is going down!" Arcee declares. She transforms and drives away.  
Mikko goes out of the base and hides by the rocks on the side of the base. "That son of a bitch!" She screams, throwing rocks down below.  
Nicole wakes up tied to a pole in the middle of the room. The last thing she remembered was being shot with the giant robot's laser and the other one catching her. Her long pin straight red hair frames her small pale face. Fear is written in her watery grey eyes. A slight blood and energon stains show on the left side of her lime green tank top and also over her white short sleeved blouse she wore over top of that. Her black jeans had a huge tear on the right knee. Tears spilled over the freckles dotting her cheeks. She struggles to break the ropes but her attempts are useless as they  
have no effect.  
"Where am I?..." She whispers to herself as she looks around. The building was made of ashen grey concrete, and the beams supporting the ceiling were a deep red.  
"Hello there." Arachnid says in a fake sweet voice. Nicole screams with terror.  
Arachnid laughs. "Silly little girl." She shakes her head and sighs. "I hope you said goodbye to your sister. You're never going to see her again. It's a shame, really, but I'm going to have to get rid of you. I can't keep you any longer."  
"Back away from the girl." Bulkhead turns his fist into a ball and Arcee points her lasers at her. They fight for a few minutes, laser and fists flying at each other until Arachnid falls to the ground. Arcee cuts the ropes off of Nicole.  
"You okay kid?" She asks. Nicole nods. Mikko runs up to Nicole and wraps her arms around her.  
"Nicole!" She cries. "Are you okay sweetie?"  
"I'm fine Mikko."  
"I'm not letting you anywhere near them ever again. It's too dangerous for you." Tears are streaming down Mikko's face. "I don't wanna lose you."  
Arcee smiled. "You did pretty good Bulk."  
Bulkhead smiled as he looked at Mikko and Nicole. "I guess that we won't be seeing anymore of Nicole after today."  
"What makes you think that?"  
"Mikko's not gonna let her near us anymore, so she'll be safer."  
"That's too bad. Ratchet or Optimus could have had a human friend."  
"Oh well. At least she's okay. That's all that matters."  
Arcee and Bulkhead took Mikko and Nicole back to the base. Jack, Raf, Optimus, Bee and Ratchet were waiting for them. The bridge closed behind them.  
"Careful now. We don't want to overwhelm her." Raf warned.  
"I think she'll be fine shortie." Mikko replied. Nicole giggled a little bit and Raf glared at Mikko.  
"Is she alright?" Jack asked.  
"I'm very sorry. I was supposed to be guarding you but I got distracted. None of this would have happened if it weren't for me." Ratchet confessed.  
Nicole looked up at him. "It's okay. Everyone makes mistakes."  
"That is not what I expected her to say at all."  
"I don't think anyone expected that."  
Nicole stared up at the ceiling.  
"Well Nicole, we should probably get you home." Mikko said.  
"No." Ratchet stated. "I need to see your wound to make sure it won't get infected with the energon in the laser. Come with me Nicole."  
Nicole followed Ratchet into the other room. She moved her shirt sleeve and Ratchet looked at the shot wound. There was a long thick scab about six inches long over the part where she was shot.  
Ratchet sighed. "Nicole, I'm going to have to peel that off. There's energon in your blood and I don't want it to harm you."  
Nicole nodded.  
"This may hurt a bit."  
Nicole looked at him with a bored expression.  
"Just do it!"  
"Okay then." Ratchet peeled the scab off of her shoulder.  
"Ow." She said sarcastically. The blood that flowed out of the wound was a strange color while the energon was still in it. Once the blood changed to the normal color and Ratchet put a bandage over it.  
"You're a tough kid." Ratchet said.  
"I wasn't until I got blasted with that stupid laser."  
"Well then I guess you'll be able to handle more, show those other kids up."  
"Yeah. I'll be doing back flips off the roof before I know it."  
"Whoa there. You don't want to go too far."  
Nicole laughed and rolled her eyes.  
"Watch that attitude with me missy." Ratchet warned.  
"At least I'm not screaming at you for letting me get kidnapped by a giant robot."  
"I can see how you're related to Mikko."  
"It took me five and a half years to see that."  
"How old are you miss?"  
Nicole rolls her eyes. "I have a name you know."  
"Oh what was it..." He mutters, looking away from Nicole.  
"My name is Nicole." She does a backflip off the table and lands on her feet nearly twenty feet below.  
"How did you-?"  
"Like I said, backflips off of roofs."  
"I do not question your abilities Nicole, I only advise that you be careful." Optimus warns. Nicole whips around and looks up. Mikko walks up to Nicole.  
"We should probably be going."  
"Oh come on Mikko! You always mess up everything!" Nicole rolls her eyes.  
"Watch your attitude."  
"Why don't you make me?"  
"Ava Nicole Danielle, we are leaving right now."  
"You can't make me!"  
"Mom and Dad told me to keep a close eye on you."  
"I don't care what they say. That's no excuse for you being a jerk!"  
"I am not being a jerk, I'm just trying to protect you!"  
"I don't need you to protect me! I can take care of myself!"  
"You're six years old! You can't do anything!"  
"I hate you." Nicole stormed out of the base leaving everyone behind shocked and Mikko heartbroken.  
"She's got quite an attitude." Jack says. Mikko nods and walks after Nicole.  
"Just go away Mikko. I don't want to put up with you anymore. I'm done with all of you."  
"Nicole, I didn't mean-"  
"GO THE FUCK AWAY!"  
Mikko runs home crying.  
Nicole sighs sadly and removes her hood, revealing her small ginger kitten ears. She had been hiding her secret for just over two years, afraid that if Mikko and her parents found out they wouldn't love her anymore. Her tail was safely hidden in the back of her sweatshirt, where no one would notice it unless she moved it.  
Nicole rests her head on her knees.  
"It's not fair." She whispers. She had heard stories of other Neko's, whose parents had disowned, abused, or even killed them because of it, and it isn't even their fault.  
Arcee's voice broke her away from her thoughts.  
"You okay kid?" She asks. Nicole quickly whips her hood back on.  
"I'm fine. Just, thinking, is all."  
"Mikko's pretty upset you know."  
Nicole sighs.  
"She'll get over it."  
"Wow. Heartless I see."  
"I am not heartless! I just know her better than you ever would."  
"If that's what you want to call it, it's fine with me."  
Nicole rolls her eyes. "I have to go." She gets up and walks away without another word.  
"Well that was unexpected." Arcee mutters as she turns around to leave.  
"Why did it have to be me?" She asks herself. "I just wanted a normal life, is that too much to ask?" She walks towards her home, not knowing that when she came back, nothing would be the same as it was before...


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N- To the guest who put a review on here- I didn't understand what you meant. Get an account and PM me please. _

3  
October 14, 4:00 pm  
Nicole walks into the house and silently closes the door. She takes off her jacket and hangs it up on the hook on the wall. She moves her hair over her cat ears and hides her tail in the back of her shirt. She walks down the hallway towards Mikko's room and knocks on the door.  
"Mikko?" She calls. There was no reply. "Mikko are you in there?"  
Still nothing. Nicole opens the door to reveal Mikko's empty room. Her phone sat on the dresser, music still softly playing through it's speakers. Her bed was neatly made as it had been before she left the house. The ceiling fan had been left on, it's blades whirring just barely above a whisper.  
It was like an episode of one of those cop shows, like NCIS, or CSI that Nicole would sometimes watch on her iPad.  
"Mikko!" Nicole screamed. "This isn't funny!"  
There was no reply.  
"Mikko?" Nicole called out, fear in her voice.  
Still, there was no reply.  
It finally dawned on Nicole-  
Mikko was gone. Someone had taken her, but what would someone want with her sister?  
Whatever it was, Nicole had to get help at all costs. She couldn't let her sister be handled relentlessly by god only knows who.  
Jack knocked on the front door about twenty minutes later.  
"Nicole?" He called. "You okay?"  
Nicole ran to the door. "Jack, Mikko's gone!" She cried.  
"Do you think she ran off?" Jack asked.  
Nicole shook her head. "She doesn't go anywhere without her cellphone. It's still on the dresser. She's definitely gone." Small tears spilled from her soft grey eyes.  
"She'll be okay Nicole. Don't worry. We'll find her."  
"She's already dead if this is anything like those cop shows they put on tv."  
"That stuff's just a bunch of crap Nicole. That doesn't really happen."  
"That doesn't mean it won't!"  
"You're right." Jack sighed. "It doesn't. But that doesn't mean we can't hope for the best for her."  
"Hope means nothing! If you want something to happen you have to fight for it!"  
"There isn't much we can do about it Nicole. We'll have to get the police."  
"Police don't do shit these days." Nicole stormed out the door and into her driveway. The sun had set behind the horizon and the moon had took it's place.  
"The skid marks..." She whispered. "On the driveway... They must have gone this way!"  
Jack ran out after her, the kitchen door slamming behind him.  
Nicole had already started following the marks down the road. They ended about a mile or so later.  
"This wasn't a 'con Jack. These are real humans. We have to find her."  
"Come on. Let's just go home. We'll get the police on the case in the morning." Jack sighed, pulling his fingers through his hair.  
The gravel on the sidewalk crunched slightly under their feet. Once they arrived at the house, Nicole went straight to the room she shared with Mikko. OneRepublic's "Feel Again" came pouring softly through the speaker. She picked up the phone and turned the music off. She couldn't bear to hear it for another second.  
After they had eaten, Nicole quickly took a shower and went straight to bed. Jack laid down on the living room couch and went out like the lights. He didn't understand Nicole. There was, something about her. He could sense it, but he didn't know how to ask her about it.  
In the morning, Nicole arranged her hair so it covered her ears. She put on a little bit of eyeliner and went out into the kitchen.  
"Hey." Jack says. He stood behind the counter.  
"Hey." Nicole says quietly. She sits down on the floor and leans against the counter.  
"You okay?"  
"Yeah. I just prefer to sit down here."  
"That's kind of... Odd..."  
"Yeah. I'm used to people telling me that."  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"  
"It's fine Jack. I'm just, weird. It's just a natural thing. It's like I'm not entirely human almost."  
"My sister was like that."  
"You have a sister?"  
"Yeah. Well I used to. She just disappeared one night with some boy and never came back."  
"I'm sorry Jack. That must have been hard for you."  
Jack nodded. "She would have been twenty one last night if she's eve alive still."  
"She might still be out there looking for you."  
"I think she would have by now if that were the case. Shaylah was a tough one to crack."  
"Maybe we'll find her. Who knows?"  
"She's probably not even alive Nicole. That boy she ran off with is with the 'cons."  
"I just can't help but thinking, what if Mikko did the same?"  
"She would have taken her cell phone if she had gone on purpose."  
"Wait a second. I recognize the song that was playing on her phone. She hates that song! That isn't her cell phone Jack. It has to be someone else's."  
"We'll need all the evidence we can get."  
"I'll go back and get it." Before Jack could protest, Nicole ran off a few meters and disappeared in a flash.  
The cell phone still laid on the table in Mikko's room. Nicole picked it up and looked at the screen.  
"Incoming call, Mikko Nakadi." She read the screen without realizing what she had said. "Oh my God it's Mikko!" She slammed her thumb down on the button and put it up to her ear.  
"Mikko!" She cried.  
"Nicole. I'm sorry for what I said before. I was only trying to protect you. I didn't realize you could take care of yourself. I-I thought you were just still the little girl you've always been."  
"It's okay. I over reacted."  
"So did I."  
"Where are you Mikko? It's not like you to leave like this."  
"I only went for a walk and I got captured. You've got his cell phone, he was hanging out in my room earlier."  
"Your BOYFRIEND took you?!"  
"He was only trying to lure me in. He isn't my boyfriend. He's a serial killer."  
Nicole's eyes widened. "What's his name?"  
"Ricardo. I don't know his last name."  
"I have his phone. I'll find you Mikko. I promise." Tears pooled up in her eyes.  
"I'll be gone by morning."  
"No, you won't. I promise. I'll come and find you. I won't stop until I do. Jack is looking for you too. He hasn't said it but I can see it in his eyes. I can tell he loves you Mikko."  
"He-He does?"  
"Yeah Mikko. He does."  
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" A voice from Mikko's side of the phone line.  
"I gotta go. Please hurry."  
"Mikko!"  
A crash sounded and the call ended.  
"Mikko!"  
Nicole shut off the phone and ran out of the house. In a flash she disappeared and came back where she had vanished before.  
"Jack, Mikko called me. She was taken by a serial killer. We have his cell phone, let's get to the cops like NOW."  
"Not until you explain that, that, thing you did!"  
Nicole sighed and removed her hood, revealing her small ginger cat ears. Jack screamed.  
"You-You're a-"  
"Yes I know I'm a Neko! Get over it!" She put her hood back on and walked off towards the police station.  
"Nicole! Wait!"  
"Why should you care?! I'm just a little devil to you!"  
"It's not about you, it's about Mikko. I have feelings for her, and you know that."  
"Well I don't want you here. I can handle myself you know, especially with my power, which has absolutely nothing to do with me being a Neko."  
"Then how do you explain, that, that, thing?!"  
"It's a bionic implant!"  
"Bionic implant?"  
"I was used as a lab rat."  
"I'm so sorry Nicole. I-"  
"Don't be." Her hair flipped as she turned around. A pale glimpse of light flashed over her as she took a deep breath and turned into a ten year old girl. She was wearing new clothes, a lavender t-shirt and red skinny jeans. Her hair had grown six inches longer so it reached three millimeters past her waist. She wore black heeled combat boots with plastic jewels on the sides. Walking down the sidewalk, Jack followed behind.  
"Nicole wait. I over reacted."  
She turned around. "Yeah. Yeah you did."  
Jack was dazzled. "Whoa..."  
Nicole slapped him. "Get over yourself. I don't have time for you."  
White wings like those of an angel sprouted out of her back and she flew away.  
"Wow. She's amazing. But nothing compared to Mikko."  
"Ugh! Damn it!" Nicole cried out in fury as she realized no one was at the station. "I guess I'll find my sister myself." She leaned up against the wall and turned on the phone and looked through it.  
"Hmmm, afraid of his mother, hates cats. How nice. I've got a weapon. Now for a plan of action..."


End file.
